


Wounded or Not

by BugheadjonesTheThird



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), Riverdale (TV 2017) RPF
Genre: Betty Cooper Loves Jughead Jones, Betty Nursing Jughead, Bughead fluff, F/M, bughead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 06:50:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14326944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BugheadjonesTheThird/pseuds/BugheadjonesTheThird
Summary: Jughead suffers a minor, bike accident, and even if he wasn’t really going to call her for help, Betty Cooper didn’t need a formal invitation to take care of her boyfriend.





	Wounded or Not

**Author's Note:**

> This is the fluff I needed to relieve a bit of the tension from the week. Gosh, I hated this week so much! I still have to study today and do lots of stuff, but finishing this ended up being a priority for obvious reasons XD Hope you have fun with this small one!

By the time he got home, Jughead could feel the stingy pain taking over his arms and cheek. There was a pained expression spread all over his face, and the strong smell of iron was only making him scrunch his nose even more. His legs were feeling heavy as he limped around the trailer, and after he threw his keys over the counter, he couldn’t help but stop midway to the couch so he could take a deep breath. Blood was soaking the right sleeve of his red, flannel shirt and his clothes, in general, had dirt and some non-stylish rips that would be incredibly hard to clean and fix.

 

Everything hurt at that moment. From head to toe, it was as if his entire body was throbbing, and yet, the one thing troubling his mind at that moment was that new scratch on his bike.

 

Damn it, how could he have been so stupid and let something like that happen?! He’s been riding that thing for years— more than he would dare to admit in front of a judge— and yet, it only took him a moment of distraction and a cardboard box that came from nowhere to send both him and his bike down to the asphalt. It was an amateur move, for sure, but thankfully, he wasn’t going fast enough to completely screw up his motorcycle. Yet, it was bad enough to haunt his thoughts and turn him into a joke around the Serpents.

 

Neither Fangs nor Sweet Pea would leave him alone once they found out— and they _would_ find out. It would be the end of his reputation, and for sure, the beginning of a new crise of migraine.

 

The vehicle would survive without major damages, though, and that was the most important thing since he owned no money for major repairs that were out of his girlfriend’s field of expertise. Luckily, a scratch was no problem for Betty Cooper, therefore, the rest was just the rest. His body would heal for free, and as long as there was no blood coming out of his mouth, he could consider that a victory.

 

A painful and bloody victory that made it hard to breath and that would probably leave some marks, but a victory, nonetheless.

 

At that moment, better than anyone Jughead knew that he had to disinfect those bruises and make sure to tend to those cuts before things got any worse. He knew he had to take off his clothes and head to the shower, but his body didn’t seem to care about those logical needs, deciding, instead, that the couch seemed to be the best place to stay and suffer in silence for a while. Moving his limbs had never been so painful before, and for the moment, he couldn’t help but curse himself and his pride for not even considering calling for help.

 

Jughead was alone. He has been, for most part of his life, and even if the blonde had managed to take over a lot of space in his lonesome life, he knew that, at times like that, he couldn’t count on her. Not because she would refuse to help and not because she didn’t know what to do, no.

 

If there is anyone who knows first aid in Riverdale apart from the doctors, that person is certainly Betty Cooper. She would know exactly what to do and she wouldn’t need to think twice before dropping everything and running to the trailer if he eventually called her and explained what happened.

 

She would help him, for sure. She would come for him and he knew he could count on her.

 

But by doing so, he also knew he would expose her to an unnecessary amount of concern and it would introduce her to this new role in his life that shouldn’t belong to her.

 

Betty is not his personal nurse. She’s not responsible for righting all the wrongs of his life, and she’s definitely not the maternal figure he lacks of that is supposed to keep him safe and warm.

 

She is his girlfriend. She makes him feel loved and she helps him in more ways than he could ever count, but mending his bruises is a different story.

 

Her hands were not meant to deal with blood. They were not meant to hold the weight of his mistakes.

 

However, she is Betty Cooper. And she will use her hands for whatever she wants.

 

He really didn’t know for how long he stood there on the couch until the front door was pushed wide open. The chilly, Riverdale breeze invaded the trailer, and unexpectedly, it also brought the vanilla scent that his nostrils love so much. His eyes darted to the entrance only to meet emerald ones, and by the look on her face, Jughead could tell he was in big trouble.

 

Apparently, Betty had found out about his small accident, and since it was not by him— well— chances were she was going to be mad as soon as she made sure that he was okay.

 

Unlike popular belief, Elizabeth Cooper is not your kind and forgiving, small town girl, no. She can be fierce and tough if someone pushes her buttons, and even if he finds that incredibly attractive about her, the raven haired boy knows better than anyone that is not really nice to be at the end of her stick.

 

But it was not like he could actually run from her.

 

“ Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third!” She started, dropping her bag at the entrance and quickly making her way towards living room. She found herself a spot next to him on the couch, her hands already rushing to touch his face and inspect his bruises. There was a certain anger lingering on her voice, but the concern in her eyes betrayed her rough facade. “ Were you not hurt, I swear to god I would be smacking your arm right now for leaving me so worried!”

 

“ Wow… You used my real name. I don’t know if I should be scared or excited about this, Betts.” He smirked, not being able to hold back his characteristic dark humor, only to be scolded by her green glare. Perhaps, it would be wiser to keep his sarcasm inside for a while.

 

“ How did this happen? Were you and the boys doing something stupid? Did you lose to Sweet Pea or something?” She asked, saying all the things that were crossing her mind at that moment.

 

“ Honestly… I’m offended that you think I’d lose to Sweet Pea. Have you ever seen him driving that thing he calls bike?” He grinned, even if moving his facial muscles hurt, and took a deep breath before continuing. “ Though, I assure you that this time I was minding my own business when a box suddenly came flying on the road! Seriously, it came from nowhere like it was alive or something!”

 

“Tch, were you at least wearing a helmet? Because Mr. Jets had no trouble in identifying you, Jug!”

 

“ Of course I was, Betty. I would never risk hurting my face like that. I know you love me for my looks, so I can’t risk it, right?” Betty arched her brows in an  _are-you-serious_ way, and if anything, he could consider her reaction an improvement from her previous state of pre-explosion. She seemed to have softened a bit by now that she knew a bit more of the situation, but still— “ Wait, how may I ask, did you know what happened? And more precisely, that it happened in front of old Bennie’s grocery shop?”

 

“ It was definitely not by you, Jughead. “ A sigh escaped her lips, as she finally dropped her hands to her lap and closed her eyes. Betty was visibly calmer now as she seemed to be considering her next moves, and he could say he had dodged a blonde bullet. Green eyes came to view again, and she withdrew her lips for a second before offering him an explanation. “ He told me about it. I was walking by and imagine my surprise when Mr. Jets came to me and apologized for dropping the box the sent my boyfriend to the ground. I was so worried about you that I didn’t even have time to grab the bag of groceries he offered you as an apology.”

 

“ Are you serious, Betts? How could you forget that?! Do you know if there were those cinnamon rolls in there, too? Because if so, I’ll go out there myself to eat them! And for free!”

 

“ You’re not going anywhere, Jug. Tch, geez… You’re all hurt and bleeding, and are you seriously just thinking about those cinnamon rolls?”

 

“ ….. Maybe?”

 

“ You’re impossible, you know?”

 

“ But don’t you just love me like that?”

 

Her emerald eyes were a lot calmer than before, for the anger had completely dissipated by now. She was looking at him with a worried expression that hurt more than his bruises, and if anything, he just wanted to move both his arms to wrap her in a warm embrace. Jughead considered moving from his spot, but before only the idea could bring him pain, her soft, small hands were on his, as she massaged his his skin with her thumb in a soothing rhythm. Betty was holding him with just enough strength not to hurt, and for the first time since she entered the trailer, the Cooper girl finally allowed herself crack her strong facade in front of him.

 

“ … Are you okay, Jug?”

 

A sigh escaped his lips, and he wasted no time in holding her hand tighter with enough strength to show her he was, indeed, okay. “ I’m fine, Betts. It was just a couple of scratches that will heal soon, don’t worry.”

 

“ Are you sure? What if you broke something? What if you’ve lost too much blood? Oh, Jughead… Can you not feel any part of your body?”

 

“ Oh, believe me, I can feel everything just fine. A lot more than I wanted, to be honest.”

 

“ Do you think we should go to the hospital? Or maybe call an ambulance?”

 

“ Wow, take it easy there, Betty.” He chuckled, offering her a small grin. “ I’ll be fine. I just need to clean this stuff and take some painkillers. I’ll be good as new in no time.”

 

“ Are you sure?”

 

“ Positive. Now don’t worry about me, okay?”

 

“ That’s a lot easier said than done, Jug….” A weak smile crossed her lips as she released a deep sigh. She bit her lower lip, taking her time to consider her options now that she was a little calmer and could think straight. His eyes were studying her face carefully, trying to anticipate her next move, but before he could even come up with anything, she released her grip around his hands and clapped hers together. Determination was now filling her green eyes, for they seemed to be on fire as they locked with his, and Jughead couldn’t help but swallow dry.

 

Apparently, Betty had made up her mind, and if anything, he knew his plan of keeping her out of that whole, bloody mess was about to be crashed. He tried to bring himself to protest, however, the blonde was faster and stopped him before he even had the chance of saying anything. “ Alright. We need to take off your clothes, Jug. We need to fix you before it gets worse and for that, we can’t just stay here on the couch the whole afternoon.”

 

“ I was on my way to doing that, actually. I was about to go grab the first aid kit and—“

 

“ Oh, great! So you two did buy the stuff I asked you to!” She said, somehow cheerfully, before standing up. She straightened her ponytail and took off her white keds so she could walk faster in her socks. “ Is it in the bathroom?”

 

“ Yeah, I think so, but Betts, you don’t have to—“

 

“ Good! I’ll go prepare you a bath so we can clean those cuts, and do you think we’re gonna have to cut your shirt?”

 

“ What? No! No need to cut it. I just need you to—“

 

“ Okay! Then I’ll go and start the water. You wait right here until I get back for you.”

 

Seeing her doing all of those things in an almost automatic mode made his heart clench in anxiety. His breathing was becoming unease, his throat was going dry and his eyes couldn’t leave her as she moved around the trailer in order to gather the things she was going to need. She was getting lost in that messy side of his life he never really wanted her to know, and she didn’t seem to know how bad that could be for her.

 

Betty was about to stain her hands with his blood, and that is something he had never wanted for her. She didn’t deserve this, no. She didn’t deserve to have to act like that just for his sake.

 

She didn’t deserve to act like a mother. Not like _his_ mother.

 

He had to stop her. He had to stop her before it was too late.

 

“ Betty, wait a minute.” He tried to move, only to feel a stinging pain on his arm as he unconsciously tried to support his weight on it in order to stand from the couch. “ Shit…”

 

“ Jug!” She turned to face him, pure concern alive in her eyes. “ I told you to wait there for me. I’m here to—“

“ You’re not my mom, Betts!” His voice came out an octave louder than her had initially planned, stunning the blonde and stopping her before she could reach out to him. Her eyes widened at his words and her pink lips parted in awe. “ You’re not… You don’t have to do this kind of stuff, Betty. It’s not your job to take care of me like that…” He smiled, but he was sure his face wasn’t showing any trace of happiness at that moment.

 

His heart was aching inside his chest now, for he knew exactly how things would end up. He was telling her what to do and to ignore a part of his life, and thanks to previous experiences, Jughead knew it wouldn’t take long for her to just turn away from him. Betty is fierce and untamable, and if anything, trying to protect her would only push her away from him.

 

Trying to keep her in the shadows would, eventually, make her walk away from him.

 

Though that was bound to happen in the future, right? She was bound to leave him just like everyone else.

 

Just like his mo—

 

“ I’m not your mother, Jughead.” She stated, her voice with absolutely no trace of hesitation or doubt. “ I’m your girlfriend. Even if it’s not my job to take care of you, I’m doing this because I care.”

 

“ But—“

 

“ No buts, Jughead! Seriously, why can’t you just be happy and let me help you without being so pessimist all the time? I’ve already told you I love you and no matter how stubborn you are, I would never not care. So just let me do my stuff, okay?”

 

His eyes widened at her words, his heart skipping a beat in a hopeful feling. Betty caught him by surprise, for it was as if she was reading his troubled mind at that moment. Once again, she was telling him the words he wanted— _needed_ — to hear, and even if all the odds told him he shouldn’t take her words to heart and that they were both too young to know the meaning half of the things they tell each other; Jughead couldn’t help but be happy.

 

Now, more than ever, he was happy to have her by his side. He was happy to have her taking care of him, as if he was a little boy in need of a healing kiss from the girl he loves.

 

Betty is not his mother. Thankfully, she will never be.

 

And even if he was old enough to take care of himself, having a beautiful blonde tending to his wounds didn’t seem so bad, right?

 

“ Fine… You win.” He smiled, relaxing back on the couch. “ I’ll be your patient for the day, Doctor Cooper. Though I’ll want those cinnamon rolls later."

 

She sighed, a smile making its way to her lips. “ Do you think you deserve them, Jones?”

 

“ Of course I do. I’m injured!”

 

“ Tch.. You really are impossible, Jug. I’ll go heat up the shower.” She said, making her way towards the bathroom. Her blonde ponytail was bouncing behind her, and when she arrived at the end of the hallway, she—

 

“ Betty…”

 

“ What is it?” She turned to face him once again, curiosity concern rolling her face.

 

“ Just… uhmm… Thank you.” He smiled, nervously, as if he was embarrassed for taking so long to say such words. " Thank you for being here with me.”

 

“ … Sure.” A bright smile made its way to her face, and he could feel his chest getting warmer at such view. “ You’re more than welcome, Jug.”

 

Perhaps, he could get used to that. Perhaps, depending on her for small things wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> So, what did you think?? I tried my best to add a mix of emotions to Betty and I hope you were able to see the reason why XD Please, tell me what you think! Also… I was thinking about continuing this…She still needs to give him a shower, after all… Would you guys like that? I’m sure Jughead would hahaha


End file.
